Businesses operating in the UAE are among those poised to grasp the business opportunities offered by climate change.

That is according to a new report by UK Trade & Investment, which showed that 31 per cent of businesses in the Middle East and Africa are actively planning to adapt to climate change in some way.

By way of comparison, just 25 per cent of firms in the US said the same, while Asia is leading the way with 37 per cent, ahead of Europe (33 per cent).

However, the list of country's shows that the UAE is far ahead of the global average of 31 per cent, with almost 40 per cent of firms engaged in climate change.

Susan Haird, acting chief executive of UK Trade & Investment, said: "Businesses around the world are clearly ready to grasp climate change opportunities. 90 per cent of those surveyed said they had been directly affected by climate change in the past three years. And around one in five have already generated revenue from such opportunities.

"Recent floods and droughts across the world have demonstrated the urgency for business to adapt to the realities of climate change. Whether it is designing flood defences or developing new techniques for crop resilience."